May 11, 2018

Halitosis is a word used in mouthwash commercials to describe
a medical condition characterized by very bad breath. Contrary
to the popular belief that Listerine coined the term halitosis,
its origins date to before the product's existence.

Company owner Jordan
Wheat Lambert decided to market Listerine as a cure for bad
breath. To convince the public they needed Listerine, he needed
something ominous sounding and came across the word halitosis.
The company then ran a series of ads claiming that halitosis was
a chronic problem plaguing America for which only it had the
cure. In seven years, the company's revenues rose from $115,000
to more than $8 million.

This was about the
same time King Gillette convinced women to shave their
underarms and legs. Both men are still regarded as marketing
geniuses.